Family-like Care for Taiwan High-risk Children

Dongdong shared his story: "If the pastor hadn't found me on the street and brought me into i-ro i-ro Children's Home, I might be hiding every day from loan-shark harassment, and I will not know what happens tomorrow. i-ro i-ro Children's Home is my shelter and a safe home.”

Dongdong's parents divorced when he was very little, and he lived with his father who is physically disabled. Because his father was unable to work and also not able to take care of Dongdong, Dongdong didn't take shower often so he smell bad and there was no one to watch him learn, causing learning disabilities. His mother works in a karaoke, and she has a lot of financial debts and complicated friendships. However, when Dongdong was in middle school, his mother began to ask Dongdong to work as a free waiter (child labor) to receive tips and even asked him to drink with guests, which caused Dongdong to stop learning, unable to attend classes stably, being late and absent from class, and learning was depressed.

The pastor found Dongdong on the street and learned about Dongdong’s family situation. The pastor helped Dongdong to stay in i-ro i-ro Children's Home. In the i-ro i-ro Children's Home, Dongdong has learned to take care of himself and go to school stably. In addition, Dongdong refused to work in the karaoke where his mother works in.

Now under the protection of i-ro i-ro Children's Home, Dongdong has the opportunity to learn jazz drums. He is now full of confidence and positive energy. Seeing his growth, we believe that the pain in his heart has slowly healed and been filled with love.

“With the faith and hope small as the mustard seed to build a community support network to convey God's love by giving and help.” This is the aim of the Mustard Seed Mission (MSM). MSM works recently in the fields of underprivileged families, child protection, elders, indigenous peoples, new residents, and youth training to integrate and achieve 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For the children in Pei-Hsin Home, a monthly daily schedule is designed. According to the schedule, the children usually need to follow the daily routine and participate in a series of activities arranged such as drying flowers, jazz drums, guitar, or health education during the day, and choose their favorite reading materials and read together in the large classroom in the evening. The group courses also incorporate the themes of SDGs to enrich the children’s life.

Through the brief introduction of the video, the children understand that the 17 indicators of SDGs are closely related to their own living environment. The life support teacher will lead the children to reflect after each course. In the recent "SDG6 Clean Water and Sanitation" course, we arranged for the children to visit the Water Resources Center. Every link from the buildings to the sewage treatment is connected with the course. The water quality was tested for its pH, turbidity, and dissolved oxygen. In this off-campus teaching, we saw the difficulty of sewage treatment and the process of recycling. What impressed the children was that they saw many rags, peels, and bones that cannot be decomposed in water. For this reason, the children are more aware that there is only one Earth, and protecting their home starts with them.

Pei-Hsin Home not only provides a safe haven for children to relax physically and mentally but also stabilizes and regulates their lives in their school and rest. The children’s broken hearts are healed and knowledge of good life is built through many courses. When the youngsters like chicks gradually spreading their wings, learning to fly and leaving their nests, they will be able to overcome the difficulties in the future with their positive experiences they have learned in Pei-Hsin Home.

Th mission of i-ro i-ro Children's Home is to help marginalized children to have their family structure restored and family relationship rebuilt; as well as provides parents with good parenting education and family support so that children are provided with consistent care while they grow up in a stable community environment.

Cher, who just started university this year, said to the social worker, " I want to be like you to have a career helping others in the future. I wouldn't be here without your help. "

Cher was brought up by her father who is a single parent. She moved to the north with her father when she was in the second grade. When her father was at work, Cher was often left alone at home and hungry. To provide Cher with better care, her father entrusted Cher to the care of her grandmother. Her teacher in the supplementary class knew her family situation and treated her like her own daughter. Not only did she educate Cher as a teacher, she also provided Cher the companionship like a mother did. A strong bond was established between them. When Cher was in junior high school, her beloved grandma passed away. With the sudden lose of a dear family member, she changed. She became depressed, indifferent and lost her confidence. Seeing that Cher's father struggled with busy work while raising a child on his own, as well as acknowledging the need to address the trauma suffered by Cher after the loss of a loved one, the teacher discussed with Cher's father to let Cher come to i-ro i-ro Children's Home where she can once again experience the feeling of "home". She was also connected with the Mustard Seed Mission to receive support and scholarship. Her life and education were thus improved and stabilized. i-ro i-ro Children's Home is like a big family for her. Cher feels the encouragement and support of everyone, and the hole in her heart gradually healed.

Six years quickly went by. From junior high school to university, Cher has experienced life transformation. She has transformed from being low self-esteemed and indifferent to being self-confident and passionate, from feeling loneliness and despair in life to become full of hope and courage. Thanks to the dedicated companionship and education of i-ro i-ro Children's Home, she has turned her life around and now ready to fly high.

Di-Yang, a golf coach from the Bunun ethnic group in Taitung, as he went to teach in a remote village, he became to know A-Xiang (a pseudonym) at his first grade. A-Xiang's father was a mountain guide, whose income was unstable. His mother worked as a waiter in a restaurant. The two's salary were too poor to raise the four children in the family. With the consent of A-Xiang's parents, A-Xiang began to live with the coach and his wife.

A-Xiang performed well in school sports and was willing to receive golf training, so he embarked on a 13-year learning journey. Due to the huge training expenditure, coach and his wife also ran a restaurant to support their children, but they were still struggling. Three years ago, coach and his wife joined the Mustard Seed Mission's " i-ro i-ro Children's Home", which enables children to live in the existing residential families of the church for stable life and healthy growth.

At "i-ro i-ro Children's Home", coach and his wife accompany the children all the way like a strict father and a loving mother. In order to learn to concentrate, children can not use mobile phones and play electric games, instead, they are trained to organize housework, cooking, pruning, gardening, piano, guitar, etc., all of them are versatile; pay more attention to their basic politeness and life etiquette. Mrs. coach recalled that when A-Xiang was a child, she often took his hand across the road. One day when she wanted to hold him again, A-Xiang told her, " I've grown up, so change my hand to hold you." A-Xiang is dull and reluctant to express his inner feelings. Touching the coach and Mrs. coach with his shoulders is his way of expressing love. Although his birth family doesn't always show care, the education and care that A-Xiang has received in i-ro i-ro Children's Home is full.

Due to the hard training process, A-Xiang wanted to give up several times, but he kept in mind the coach and Mrs. coach's teaching: "In the game, it is not others but himself who have to defeat." So he started to participate in many golf courses in high school. In the event, he has obtained quite a lot of achievements, and obtained the C-level license of golf coach. He graduated from high school this year and was admitted to the National Taiwan Sports University. In order to improve his family's environment, he aims to become a sports teacher and golf coach. He also actively prepares for the B-level coach's license exam. In the process of realizing his dream, he needs to continue practice, continuous registration to participate in the event, and funding. The coach and Mrs. coach also taught A-Xiang to be grateful and to continue the spirit of serving tribal children when he is able in the future, and to develop a path that can be worked hard for the future of the aboriginal children.

The program i-ro i-ro Children's Home assists marginalized children, reconstructs family systems and relationships, provides parents with good parental education, provides family support, and helps children grow steadily in the community.

Links:

• https://www.mustard.org.tw/locale/en

"Teacher, I want to see my mother…" Chace said to his home dad when they rode out on bicycles together.

Chace was born when his parents had been old. He has four siblings above. His mother died of illness while he was in his kindergarten, and his father also passed away when he was six years old. His eldest sister passed away a year ago, and his second sister after getting married left the family without contact. His eldest brother, is 20 years apart from him and bears the responsibility of taking care of Chace. But he currently got divorced and has to take care his own 13-year-old son. Due to the long-term unsteady work, his elder brother was unable to return home until late at night, leaving Chace and his own son at home. Without proper guidance, Chace often skipped classes and wandered on streets with his peers till midnight.

One of the MSM community partner, Mother Li, met Chace while doing community service. Mother Li, who has a child and happens to be Chace's classmate, knowing the situation of Chace's broken family, expressed willingness to open her home as i-ro i-ro Children's Home, a community childcare facility, to take care of Chace. At first, Chace was not quite able to adapt to the new environment. With the adjustment of his living habits, he gradually felt loving care from the new home and began to have a stable schedule of life and school. He took the initiative to help with various affairs, and shared his emotions and the juvenile problems. He dropped the old habit of wandering outside, and actively participated in various skills certification exams to find goals and directions for his life.

The family merrily celebrated Chace's birthday. Although Chace often behaved coolly, he is now willing to call Mother Li as "Mom."

From broken to complete, Chace 's journey home took a long time. Initially, he was like a duckweed without roots, but now i-ro i-ro Children's Home has become his life's belonging!